Bust
by Maverick87
Summary: You were too caught up in yourself.
1. Chapter 1

**Legal Disclaimer: I don't own Tiny Toons, or Warner Bros for that matter.**

**Bust**

**Chapter 1: It All Starts Here**

_Hold it? Just hold it tightly? That…was it…? That was all she could say?_

This was barely the beginning.

Thinking back…only I can remember. Hype was all I ever _really_ had.

-------------

Graduation was epic. Hearing my name called made it even more so.

"Buster Bunny."

Bugs wasn't exactly the greatest orator and his voice always had that nasally screech.

Of course who was I to talk? Being a protégé I had to sound just like him, except younger; actually not only younger, better. Nobody _ever_ wanted to admit that, but the truth rings loud.

A warm smile came to greet me; Bugs' eyes peering into mine as I approached him. He knew it too. I would not have been handpicked for nothing. The greatest Warner Bros. product of the last fifty years had to be careful, "What's up doc?" had become a national phenomenon and someone had to carry the torch. I was chosen simply because I was great.

Loud cheers echoed hard. Plucky, Hampton, Fifi, Shirley, my parents, everyone I knew, all the voices distinct against my ears as I walked the stage, yet…I couldn't hear hers though. As much as I wanted her to, I knew she couldn't bear it. To cheer for me was the admittance of defeat, admitting surrender.

Babs hated me. Another thing everyone knew.

We both had worked hard. Hours upon hours watching film of Bugs. Studying his every move, every joke, every guise, neither of us slept for weeks. Coffee and energy drinks pushed us on. Any mistake was fatal. We even studied together, promising to congratulate the winner between us with open arms.

Too bad all I got was a closed fist.

She wanted it so bad too. When I was announced the protégé, I swear I saw the colors of her blue eyes fade, like her soul had been crinkled into a small foil ball. I didn't see her again until graduation day.

I took the diploma from Bugs' hand and turned to the crowd with a smirk. With one fist in the air I proclaimed my dominance. I had won.

Sauntering back to my seat through a gauntlet of pats on the back, I sat right down beside her. Our names were right next to each other on the roll call and I had no choice but to possibly endure her insults and spats.

"Hey." The word was monotonously forced from her lips.

"Yeah?" I retorted annoyingly

I wasn't happy with her. We weren't even looking at each other. She could have been a better sport. The bruise on my cheek hadn't even healed yet. What did she have to lose anyway? Was her confidence that low? She was great; an amazing actress _and_ cartoon. Her score on the final was a 99.5! How much closer to perfect could one get? I already knew that answer. I did. I got closer.

She took a huge breath.

"I'm…I'm sorry for what I did…Back at school."

Now she was looking straight into my eyes. Tears were on the horizon. I had to play it off. Make her feel better. I couldn't stand seeing her crying.

"Pssh! For what? This old thing?" I pointed to the blemish. "It makes me look tougher." I flexed my bicep grinning all the while.

She chuckled.

It was like music to hear that, a sweet, slow, orchestral tune flowing through my head. I wanted her to be happy. I had seen her a couple of times before that and she looked exasperated. Eye contact between us then was horrifying, as if she was trying to stab me with an imaginary dagger. But this was different. She really did look happy.

"Have you heard anything yet? Did you get any offers?" She spoke in a surprisingly inquisitive tone.

"Nah. Just some local stuff, nothing major. You?"

I was lying. I didn't want to tell her the truth. It would be too painful. It would be like me returning the punch. I had already met with some big-time execs and higher ups. A movie deal was already set up and planned for fall 2008, endorsements for literally every product under the sun, and even my own cereal called "Buster's Carrot Crunch". Who was I to tell her of my instant successes? She would eventually find out the truth though; I was the next big thing.

"I got a spokesperson job at a car dealership…Gotta start somewhere I guess."

Her voice trailed off. She looked disappointed. I could agree. Babs was way above such menial jobs. Talent like hers couldn't just be wasted like that! Wasn't there anything I could do?

"Oh c'mon! That's awesome!" I reassured. "Before you know it you'll be hitting it big! You'll be the bell of the ball! Guys will beg like dogs just to be with you! Your name will be in lights in no time at all!"

"You really think so?"

Her eyes had lit up at my optimism. However, I still felt she could tell I was just telling her decayed clichés. But I had to do something. I had heard of previous toons falling out after rough starts, and the last thing I ever wanted to see was Babs' funeral. Something like that would shatter me to pieces.

"I know so. You're a natural!" I gave her my trademark wink.

A warm smile came.

"Oh Buster! You say the sweetest things!"

Next thing I knew her arms were wrapped around me in a suffocating hug. I felt her lips press against my bruised cheek. I could smell her lipstick—cherry flavored—and it was almost intoxicating. My body was on fire. Her happy embrace seemed to be surging through my veins. We had been close for years, practically siblings, but I had never felt like this before. Was this love? Could I really be falling for her? The idea had been fermenting for awhile…but couldn't that just be me overanalyzing?

She was still clutching me and I thought an answer could be reached.

"Will the Acme Looniversity Class of 2007 please stand?" Bugs croaked from the microphone.

Immediately she let go. We both stood up together still gazing into each other's eyes.

"Parents and Friends! I present to you the Acme Looniversity Class of 2007!"

Laughing, we both took notice of the hundreds of black caps flying all around, each one floating with effortless ease back to the floor of the arena.

"For you Babsy."

I had pestered her with that moniker for as long as I could remember. Yet this time it wasn't for teasing. My honey coated emphasis said it all.

I launched my cap as high I could. Her cerulean eyes tracked its flight. It wasn't my best throw, but it seemed to glide forever. We were both still smiling—grinning like children watching a shooting star—when she brought her eyes back into mine.

"And for you Bust."

Replying to my dedication, she heaved hers. The nickname waltzed through my ears. I was in Heaven; the passage of time seemed to stop. I never knew she had such an arm! The cap seemed to go up for miles--I actually thought it was going to hit the ceiling—but instantly, like a missile, it came down; colliding with mine in mid air; pushing it out towards where Bugs and the rest of the administrators were standing. The moment was ours.

I suddenly realized what I needed to do. Like a ton of bricks it hit me. I would help out Babs in the best way possible. She would become my partner in crime. I'd be Clyde and she'd be Bonnie, I Lewis to her Clark. We would make the world our stage. Nothing would stand in our way.

It was the biggest mistake of my life.

_Maverick87-2007_


	2. Life Can Be A Party

**Bust**

**Chapter 2: Life Can Be a Party**

_Before I start, I recently mentioned that graduation was, for lack of better words, "epic" and by all means it really was. However, the party afterward...this is where things really got hazy. Hazy is defined literally by how "trashed" I was. _

"Are you sure you are ready yet? I mean it's only been _thirty_ minutes!"

I yelled up the stairwell, my voice practically echoing off the narrow foyer where I stood. Babs had recently moved in here with her parents; the place still looked brand new enough to perform complicated surgeries.

"I'll be down in a second! Hold your horses Buster!"

Seven o'clock and Babs was still taking her sweet time. The party apparently to end all parties was at Montana Max's mansion; seven-thirty was the arrival time. Reaching into my coat pocket I pulled out the invitation that was so graciously given to me; I picked it up off the Looniversity's orange tiled floors three days ago. Me and Babs weren't even invited. I guess my lucky intuition of picking up random pieces of paper in school hallways had helped out in a big way. Normally I walk by trash without a passing thought, but it was the gold-embroidered letters and their shiny reflections from the fluorescent lighting that caught my eye. I still laugh at reading it.

_Dearest Patron,_

_You are cordially invited to a post graduation party for Montana Alfred Maximillian at seven thirty in the evening June First, Two Thousand and Seven. Refreshments and food will be provided for and formal attire is required. Below is a R.S.V.P. attachment that must be sent in to be accounted for. _

_The party will be held at Montana's abode: 5515 Money Drive, Acme Acres CA. 98567_

_Please check one blank and send to the aforementioned address._

_-Yes I will be attending_

_-No I will be unable to attend_

First, I knew there could be no possible way that Monty could have written anything of "formal" stature, it wasn't his style. Second, his name…oh God his name! Alfred Maximillian? No wonder he went by Montana Max. Me, Babs, Plucky, we all had humiliated him before; a name-induced mockery would have just been more fuel to the fire.

That was back in our younger days though. Back when everyone was fourteen, immature, and sporadic. Morality absent due to insanity and hair-ball schemes; we were all sort of out to get each other. I'd trip Plucky in the hall and make him drop all his books, an hour later I would open my locker to find it filled with Tapioca pudding. An unchained melody of embarrassment, self-loathing, and laughs, were we not all cartoons? Being animated was our job, and we did whatever it took to get noticed.

Nowadays we had calmed down. Maturity had marched us to different goals and aspirations. Everyone realized the ideal that all because you were supposedly born to be an entertainer, didn't mean you had to be. Whatever we wanted to be could be achieved, and the sky was literally the limit. Calamity had received degrees in every science imaginable, Fifi had fashion design to look forward to, Shirley pushing towards her abilities as a psychic, Hampton's career based on horticulture; all my friends sent in various directions and life paths.

Before deciding to stick with show business I always thought of political science. I had a massive talent of being able to talk my way out of anything; a real bullshitter. And my laid back attitude too had constructed those thoughts as well. A career built on lies never seemed so easy.

Still though, not being invited to this party had made Monty look like he was trying to rekindle an old feud with us. Babs and I had been the main source of his mortification so why would he try to snub us out of a great party? It was like he _was_ requesting us to crash his party, and despite being older now, we had no problem in doing that.

"Hello handsome."

A deep sultry voice had derailed my train of thought. Readjusting my focus to where the voice had come from, my mouth fell open.

Babs…she was wearing an evening gown. The darkened gold exterior united with a silk texture ran all the way down her body; revealing gold sequin high heels. I felt like a puddle of water being slowly and excruciatingly dried by the sun. As she descended down the staircase everything began to fade away from her compelling beauty. The white and pink wallpaper around the room had melted, the lights above burned out; everything fell swoop to the beautiful mirage I stared into. I took a quick glance to the baby pictures that hung on the wall beside her. She used to have braces and a funny haircut, the prototypical "nerdy girl" look; the transformation from aging had been huge. She was a fairytale example one of those ugly ducklings that had turned into a swan.

"H-hey you…"

I shockingly stammered; Babs had shattered my serenity and poisoned my resolve.

Anyone who could do that to me was special.

Special in a way I couldn't understand at that point…or even today.

"You ready to go? Stud?"

She now was inches away from my face her perfume biting into my nostrils like a serpent attacking an unsuspecting field mouse. If she was using pheromones they were working. And now the thought of partying seemed trivial. My mind wanted something else.

"Are you…" My voice cracked on the last word. "Are you sure you want to actually go to this party?"

A strange look came upon her. As if asking the question was a personal insult.

"Why? Why would you say something like that?"

Now I could tell she was joking. Her voice seemed to giggle hints of imitated astonishment.

"Oh! No reason Babs. No reason. I just thought…"

My head cocked a little to the side as I again, for what seemed like the millionth time, scanned her body.

"I mean you're so…"

Again I was straining and fumbling for words, I felt like a star running back of a football team who, for the first time, was a having a bad game.

My encroaching gaze finally broke apart from the hypnotism.

"I'm so? So what am I Buster?"

What was I thinking? What the _hell_ was I thinking? Any feelings I had couldn't be exposed here! This place, her house, seemed too known, too public to admit anything of possible affection or love. If her parents heard me! What would they be thinking about me then? The thoughts would have kept coming if I hadn't realized that I was staring blankly into her cerulean eyes, and still had nothing but silence as an answer.

"Oh well..." I scratched my brain for an answer, finally finding one. "You just look amazing…so amazing."

She smiled cheerily. For as long as I could remember she loved compliments on anything about herself. Acting, dancing, singing, or impressions, she could do them all extremely well.

"You're such a sweetheart!" She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Let's get going!"

I barely nodded as we both headed to the door. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders as we departed outside. The weather decided to grace us with a cool, fall-like feeling, more so like September instead of June, and the sun had just started setting ahead of us. Humidity was up and the high levels of moisture seemed to transform simple water vapor into a complicated wind-induced mist. It felt good though. Black tuxedos are unforgivable in steamy weather and having a fur coat didn't make things much better.

The climate was nothing compared to my car though; a 2008 navy-blue Lamborghini Gallardo. How I got it…well that's a long story that I don't feel like conveying.

Let's just say extortion can you get you a lot of shit if you play your cards right.

Actually I'm kidding.

My dad played the stocks when he turned eighteen, invested in Acme and the rest is history. Sure I still live in a rabbit hole, but it's practically an underground mansion. Father kept the money in secret for my (and my siblings) college education, but when I the oldest (and most important) decided to hit up Hollywood. He didn't object and decided to let the cash flow. The house expanded to the state of unbelievable. The last couple of years were full of champagne dreams and caviar breakfasts. I kept it all on the "down low" though. To draw the rich crowd felt foolish. Besides, people's attitudes change toward you when you suddenly become enveloped in green.

Opening the door for her, she stepped in and buckled up while I scurried to my own seat. With the key in the ignition the car cranked and purred. The sound made the idea of punching the accelerator extremely feasible.

Driving there was strange. After two years of it, it all becomes second nature. The route had been overplayed and played in my mind that I don't even remember getting there. The last thing that came to me was a valet coming to my car as I came to a stop at Monty's cobblestone, circle drive. My door suddenly came ajar.

"May I take your car sir?"

As if commanded a young man appeared next to the driver's side window: beach-blond hair, at least early twenties, blue eyes; the typical Californian bum. Stranger more was the outfit. Not the usual "red hat soldier uniform", but merely a maroon button up shirt, black slacks, and matching dress shoes.

"Define 'take'." I spat.

There were always those rumors of valets robbing you blind. Any high roller knew that.

"Well…um…?"

For being older than me he was acting like a kid, his eyes feverish darting all around never laying on my own.

I stepped out slowly; now standing my height towered over him. Either this guy was short or someone was attempting a horrible prank. My hard gaze seemed to devour his. Inadvertently I grabbed his shirt and drew him close.

"How old are you?" My voice whispered ferociously.

"I-I am fi-fifteen…"

The kid was shaking like a leaf.

"All right…fine…" I hesitated to think of the right thing to say. "You're underage. You couldn't even dream of driving car like this. Hell this is the car you read about in magazines right?"

He nodded.

"Right. Which means you better be extra-freaking careful huh? Because I swear to God if my car and you aren't here when we get back…you'll be waking up _underwater_. Got it kid?"

Now he was shaking his head up and down like a bobble toy. Looks like I scared him enough.

A mere shove sent him flying backward. Sweat stains blemished his shirt noticeably around the armpits along with tiny droplets shining his brow.

"Now go get my date." I muttered in disappointment.

The adolescent walked crazily, literally zigzagging to Babs' door. A pop of the handle and she emerged, still breathtaking like before. Having the hottest girl and the hottest car in one night couldn't hurt these proceedings.

The slamming of the door was the only audible noise as I glided to her. The valet simply held his hand out visibly asking for me to give him the keys, his eyes still conveying fear.

Dropping them the clinking sound made a tearful-like farewell as again I looked at him intently.

"Do it right and I'll make it worth your time."

Me and Babs just headed for the door not thinking of the onlookers staring on, or the valet finally starting my car up, we were the bells of the ball or so they say. A butler now stood before us with a gigantic guestbook. Everything from his pinstripe suit to his monocle, to the shiny shoes dripped with "first class grade A" aristocrat.

"Your name sir?"

"Buster and Babs Bunny…no relation."

Ironically to everyone beside us, we said this simultaneously. Unless you went to school with us you wouldn't get it. Obviously the butler didn't and in a strange manner he dove through the massive guestbook to find our names. I already had my hand in my back pocket. Seeing how we weren't invited to the party how would our names actually be in there? Bribery would work fine, it always did.

"Ah! Here we are! Buster and Babs Bunny! You may walk right in…enjoy your night."

Fear crept in, inched in my brain, but only for a second. I could understand that Monty would be _expecting _us to show up, but to actually expect it and go as far as to put me on the guest list…to me that meant he was planning _something_. Me and her never liked unwanted attention or surprises. However the more I thought about it, the more I tired to calm down and reassure myself. This was a party after all and having fun was the main thing tonight. The parking lots, the streets were en masse with cars; a million people had to be here.

Walking into the mansion…Only a couple of seconds in and I felt out of place. Not like I didn't deserve to be there, but it's always the same when you come over to someone's house. What's the first thing you do? You scope the place out. Compare it to your own and make observations from there. I hadn't been to his place in a couple of years and that alone made me forget just how good he had it. The bastard! He made my new found riches seem like chump change. It felt like a scene from the Great Gatsby. I was "new" money and he was a Rockefeller or a Carnegie; out of place and not around long enough to blend in and pretend that I knew what I was doing. However, being a rabbit of many trades and talents made playing the part easy. Were we not all actors? And I had Babs with me so I knew things couldn't get too out of hand.

But damn this mansion! Picturesque in every sense! Hellenistic more or less, statues and statuettes of the gods and goddesses, fountains of chocolate, water, and wine, murals representing the greatest trials, tribulations, and fables of Greece; it was like Monty redesigned his entire house just for a one night party. Of course none of this was _his_ idea anyway. When it came to running social gatherings, or practically anything revolving around creativity, he usually hired someone else to do it. But then again…the easy way out was well…the _easy _way out. I would have done it too.

"There he is! Oh ho ho! There _he _is! I _knew_ you'd come to this party!"

Monty…with a sky blue tux? Heh. Wow.

He darted, literally, over to me and Babs. Closer up the guy looked even more ecstatic then from across the foyer. He already looked a little sweaty and dare say I it? Inebriated? From the smell of the scotch he had been drinking _before_ the party started, and from the look of my rolodex we arrived on _time_.

"Buster Bunny you ridiculous bastard! You just couldn't resist could you huh?"

"You know me Monty. I never miss a party. Especially yours."

I spoke as friendly as ever. A front wasn't needed here. Besides if he decided to throw the first punches I'd be ready

"Hehe. You're right on that one!"

I had the nerve to laugh. His speech was fine, but the way he stared around aimlessly gave him away hook, line, and sinker. He really wasdrunk!

"Of course I am…You remember Babs don't you?"

His trance seemed to break upon noticing that he was being talked to again.

"Oh yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I remember her! How's she doing? You guys finally married yet? I mean I would tap that ha—""

"Excuse me!"

Babs piped up. She sounded lethal with just two words. Stepping forward her eyes locked onto his like homing missiles. Max seemed ready to run away and never come back. I never wanted to crash his own graduation party, but at that moment Babs seemed to do it in a mere instant.

"Babs I am so sorry! You look lovely I mean wo-"

"Stuff it Monty!"

He gulped and backed up a couple more feet. Almost like if he moved slow enough she wouldn't see him and he could make his escape. That only worked on sharks from what I recall…

"Buster?"

I turned to her and grinned; she looked even more flashing in such dim, romantic ambiance.

"I'm going to go find Shirley and Fifi. Have fun tonight and I'll catch up with you later."

For a split second I almost frowned. The way she said it sickened me. Who was she? My mom? A sly smirk was all I gave and she was gone; her fluffy white tail bouncing side to side with each step.

Ugh. We were friends, we were friends, we were friends, we were—I hated it. Every second without seeing her smile, hearing her voice, smelling that perfume she always wore; I wanted her. The fact was there and I wasn't going to deny it. Monty came up beside me grinning with that drunken smile that always hinted at mayhem.

"Whoa man! You got a sizzler Buster! I mean I've seen 'mean' girls…but Babs? She gets the golden ticket there!"

I had to nerve to laugh so I did.

"Yeah she is a firecracker…it's too bad we're just friends though…"

"Friends? You guys are always around each other! Like! Like…"

"Peas and carrots? A cop to a donut? Maybe even conjoined twins?"

"Exactly! Exxxxactly! It's just weird that you guys aren't married, dating, or parents yet!"

Wait? What? It was strange to hear him say that. It wasn't surprising to see us as an item, but _parents_? That seemed like stretching the notion to the breaking point. I hadn't planned on kids, at least not anytime soon.

"It's better to not follow the norm Monty. To keep people on their toes if you will."

"Oh yeah yeah yeah! I mean I never knew you were rich man! Hell I would have never held the grudge of you messin' around with me so much if I would've known!"

That was another thing I forgot about. That night was sort of like a coming-out for me. No one, except Babs, had ever known about me being so…financially secure. To say the least I was a little worried about Hampton or Plucky seeing me around. I could just hear the insults and "well-placed" expletives. Everything that was hidden about my wealth was not out in the open, the only pro I could see was now that I could drive my car wherever, whenever and not have to worry about keeping the tinted windows up.

"I didn't know about it until a year ago though. My dad had been holding out until the right moment."

"The right moment? If obviously have a lot to learn in getting what you want when you want it!"

Again I chuckled. What he didn't get was that I was raised correctly. Money had never been a factor in my life and even with it now, it hadn't made much of a dent in how I did things. My situation was played out better; I wasn't raised a needy brat.

"I guess I do!" Both our laughs died down a little bit, and we both kind of stared at each other for a second. "Say, are we going to do _anything_ at this party?"

He grabbed me by the shoulder and brought me in close; sort of like the things best friends did after a long absence.

"Buster! Let's go get destroyed!"

He dragged me though loads and oceans of bodies and crowds before we finally stopped at his own in-house bar. I almost asked what he meant by "destroyed" but I thought it would have made me look silly so I stayed silent. It was a good thing Monty knew how to get around his own house because getting lost seemed really easy to do. We both took a seat upon hard, grey, stone barstools still remnants of the Greek theme.

"Barkeep! Get me and my friend here something good and strong! The night has just begun!"

A bartender whose features portrayed him as the long lost twin of the butler came up immediately. His stature screamed the degradation he had with his job, poisoning the drinks didn't seem beneath him at all. He had that kind of snarl to his pointy face.

"Right away sir. Would the 'usual starter' suffice?"

"Deeeefiniely Higgins, hit us with some of that!"

I was starting to worry about Monty's upbeat mood. He already looked prepared to pass out at any moment and the uncertainty of how much more he could take loomed in my head. He didn't have to drive though so I didn't feel too concerned. A big hangover tomorrow, but anybody could handle that, he'd be fine.

Two shot glasses appeared containing a bright neon purple liquid, a quick reminder of just how weird and eccentric Monty apparently was with alcohol.

"Uh what exactly are these?"

"I don't quite have a name for it yet, and I can't exactly remember what I actually put in it either…but it is really good I swear!"

The toothy smirk didn't convince me and I shuddered a little bit as I brought the drink to my lips. Monty had already finished his and was intently watching me to see my reaction. As I downed it a shaky sensation invaded my legs; it tasted like fruit juice and hydrochloric acid wrapped in barbed wire. The burn could be felt through my nostrils and my stomach, and the loud belch I exerted said it all; my body didn't agree with the drink.

"Did you like it?"

He looked like as wide eyed as a kid in a candy shop awaiting my response.

"Oh yeah…It was…interesting! I'll have to keep it in my mind for my next party!"

I was lying through my teeth but he was too gone to see through the sarcasm or recall it.

"Thanks man! I'm glad you liked it because most people don't and still you amaze me! Really you are one awesome guy!"

He really did admire me, they say a drunken man's words are a sober man's thoughts and he was starting to sound enamored towards me. An idea suddenly struck me as interesting.

"Hey…Higgins right?"

The bartender turned around from cleaning the glasses with that same scowl as before.

"Yes? What would you like?"

"Give us another round of the same."

Two more shot glasses again and Monty looked impressed.

"I knew you knew how to party! What shall we drink this one to?"

"What did we drink the first one too?"

"Whatever man that's old news let's just drink this one to the future! Our lovely, amazing futures!"

For one of us at least….

"All right."

The second time didn't taste as…wrong. Staring at my feet beneath me I let the drink in this time instead of trying to reject it. The purple nurple as I will call it for now for lack of a name, actually tasted better and had a tangy feel to it. However that is how is was with drinking anything. You could hate a drink at first, but the more alcohol that fills your bloodstream the better the drink is. Of course I had never gone too far in my drinking escapades so the myth never really applied until tonight.

"Oh g-god damn it…"

Perfect. Monty was done; the trembling in his voice was the imminent gong of failure, failure and the start of a long night of exuberant praying to the toilet. Glancing over he already left, and a couple seconds went by before I could hear him too. He didn't make it. Now I know this was his big night but it wasn't my fault that he started drinking hours before the party started. A foolish move indeed yet my guilt still seemed to rise. Not just for Monty and his night being over at eight o'clock, but for the maids. _They had to clean this place up! _The morning after had to be just like New Year's Day at Times Square.

The alcohol was permeating inside my stomach but I still needed a little more to relax, I still felt like I was walking on eggshells. The sweat was building up on my brow, and the whole "cut the tension with a knife" ideal put the wrong edge to the party. The funny thing was that I was alone now and no one even knew I was over here; my nerves weren't making sense. The reality was that I was worried for _someone_ I knew to come over here that thought alone kept everything strained and strung out.

"Would you care for something more sir?"

I decided to go with a line I'd heard my father say a thousand times over.

"What kind of beers do you got on draft?"

"Bud Light, Miller Light, Heineken—"

"I'll go with Miller."

The frosty mug was there before I knew it, and the beer looked like heaven, liquid gold really. Ravished I literally slammed the whole 24 oz. glass down my gullet, like a kid who didn't knew how to drink, but the buzz needed to come fast because all of this guilt and scarceness was starting to piss me off.

Better than expected, the music, the crowds, the yelling, everything felt like a harmonious blend of fun. The party suddenly rocked and I was ready to go dance.

"Yeah Hampton I think I have enough reasons to be pissed off!"

Buzz-kill if there ever was one. Plucky and Hampton decided to sit right beside me. The only fear I reall had tonight materialized. I turned my head away from them, hoping they wouldn't notice me. Then I could slip away and—

"Speak of the devil Hampton look who we got here! You don't have the decency to look me huh _Buster_?"

Turning towards him I gave a smirk. Plucky looked pretty dashing in his forest green suit, the same could be said with Hampton's salmon colored attire.

"Well if I'm the devil then what does the make you?"

It felt good to speak out loud, it tested my sobriety and right now I was at level of "I'll say whatever I want to you because I am tipsy enough to not care but sober enough to articulate the right words".

"An angel in every count, every case."

The way he emphasized the word "every" seemed to be his attempt at stating authority and superiority at me.

"Buster why couldn't you just tell us?"

Hampton intervened with that naïve sincerity he always had. He could make you feel like the worst person in the world on just about anything. I could jaywalk and feel like a murderer with him around being the stickler for the rules that he was. Still though, he was a good kid, a better friend and flat out reliable when you needed him to be.

"Wouldn't you guys have done the same thing? You have to believe that money changes all the perceptions."

Perceptions? A few drinks and now I was using words never said in my vocabulary.

"But your whole life? If we had known from the get-go we wouldn't be upset."

Why did everyone think I had it made all this time? It had been carrots all day every day for seventeen years, and still people thought I was having breakfast with pink champagne.

"My dad held the stocks in secret until two years ago guys. I wasn't hiding anything I didn't even know about it."

"Oh sure! Do we _believe_ that Hampton? We always wondered why you were so confident all the time, pssh, it's an easy answer now though, you had all the money in the world to go with, to be there in case you messed up big time!"

I had to rebuttal. The duck was being ignorant.

"It's called natural ability and being raised Plucky. I am confident in myself because I am good at the things I do and my parents taught me all the right things. It's the same reason why you're arrogant half the time, angry the other half and why you always wish the world would give you a freaking living when nobody owes you a damn thing."

"Take that back!"

"What? The truth?"

Plucky had now stood up and was breathing hard. His anger seeped from his eyes and hands; the duck was prepared to deck me to the floor and I was still wondering why he hadn't already.

"You've got a lot of nerve _patronizing_ me bub! You want to see who the better toon is then we'll settle this outside!"

"Plucky…"

"Shut up Hampton! I've wanted to give this rabbit a piece of mind for a long time now, and now he's going to get it!"

"Plucky why don't you sit back down and take a couple of beers or something?"

"How about I mess you're face up so bad that you'll never get a job? How would that be?"

The root of his problem! He wanted me out of the game so bad! I mean we were rivals so I expected no less for him to be mad about me graduating with honors, and I guessed the "being rich" was just icing to the cake. Too bad he hated me for being better than him.

"Is that was this is about? Me getting the a-list treatment? The jobs and money? The fame and fortune? I've earned everything I had fair and square and you know it. But I guess that is what really kills you isn't it Plucky? The fact that I was amazing and you wanted some reason like cheating or wealth or some other third-party factor to come in and reveal why everything had been so perfect for me. Well that isn't how it is or how it was. You're going to have face the music eventually Plucky, _I am better than you._"

The mallard teeter-tottered on speechlessness and shaking before scampering away without a word. Hampton followed with a sad look in his eyes but at least my solidarity was back. Some friends they were…coming out of nowhere and berating _me_! Plucky deserved every word.

My anger suggested I get out of here. The tall cathedral like windows revealed a full moon, so I decided that going outside to cool off would be a better idea. Seeing Plucky and Hampton again would probably result in a fight, which is something I didn't want.

The trek to the backyard was surprisingly easy. A bit of rummaging through some small crowds of humans and toons, but nothing like I thought it would be. Still a lot credit had to go to the party planner for Monty. Everything from a bowling alley, to video games, to basketball, to an indoor pool was here; the party had everything anybody ever wanted. That's why I wasn't surprised to see anyone outside by the outside pool. The weather was a nice and cool 65 degrees and for a summer night and no one in their right mind would want to swim out here.

The sudden drop in volume and loudness was appeasing. Sure the bass from inside could probably be heard in the next county, but the stillness and silence of the night was more inviting than anything inside. My ears can pick up a lot of things and the constant noise was a beating on me.

Taking a huge exhale I just sat and looked out towards the ocean. I'd never admit this to anyone, but the whole hype of this being "the last childhood day of my life" scared me stiff. The future always seemed to linger and haunt in the back of my mind. My fear of the unknown made me skeptical, even doubtful, on whether or not I could make it. I mean sure I was confident and I knew I could do anything I put my mind to, but was I taking things a little too far? That stuff I said to Plucky was brutal and uncalled for. The thought of apologizing to him seemed beneath me, but still…it would show me in better a light. All I did back there was prove to him that I was a pompous, rich jackass who didn't care about his friends.

Rubbing my eyes and running my gloved hands between my ears I breathed out once more. A plan formed inside my head. I needed to go back inside, find Plucky, try not to get in a fight, apologize, and then find Babs and get out of here.

However the laughing from the beach derailed everything. I would have heard the doors if somebody else came out here. Squinting at the sea I could make out two people and a fire. Curiosity hit me hard; my Rolex said 10:30 so I still had time to least check out who was down there.

Fumbling a little I made it down the stairs and within a couple of minutes I had come close enough to pick up their voices.

"I still can't believe you're actually making this stuff!"

"I know right? To think it's banned here in the states but if you've never done it before you're in for a treat!"

"I hope so. I need something to lift this night up!"

Ten feet away from the fire I was still engulfed in darkness. I didn't realize how far out we all were but the mansion had become a normal house from this distance. But that didn't matter. What did was who these guys were, and what banned substance they were about to partake in.

A couple of more steps and I got half of my answer; Furrball _and_ Calamity. It took a second for everything to sink in. _They_ were talking! They were _talking and laughing_!

It was something, despite assumed, shocking to see their lips move and make audible sounds. I really think everyone knew they could talk but just chose not to. Like an odd vow of silence, but the fact that they were associating with each other here seemed more like a pact of some sort instead of an independent idea. Again curiosity (and alcohol) made me speak up.

"I never thought in a million years I actually hear you guys talk…"

The realization that they weren't alone made them jump and for a second I thought they were going to hike tail it but they stayed. Their sudden wariness gave them a testy look, almost like they were prepared to attack if I was someone they didn't care for.

"Who's there?"

Calamity's deeper voice and articulation feigned a tough front but I knew he was nervous. He still couldn't visualize me standing here and to both of them I could have been anyone or anything, it was that dark outside.

"Buster Bunny."

The fear in their eyes subsided and they looked relived to have a friend, acquaintance, come about.

Coming close to the fire I sat on an empty, petrified log. The heat of the fire wasn't strong enough to make me sweat, a comfort more so then a burden.

"So what's this I hear about 'banned'?"

I gazed from on to the other and each looked hesitant to give me an answer. What was it? Cocaine? Weed? Crack? LSD? Painkillers? At the moment the danger or side effects of each didn't seem to apply to me. I'd try anything once.

Calamity threw me the bottle and if I hadn't been watching I would have been floored. Upon catching the brown glass bottle, it contained a murky greenish-white liquid.

"What is this Cal?"

I had called him that nickname for awhile and he always just gave a nod to answer me, but for the first time I actually expected words from the coyote.

"Absinthe…"

The "green fairy" as some called it, was supposed to do some crazy things upon drinking. I always wanted to try some whenever I got over to Europe someday, but this was drinking for free and would save me an airline ticket.

"Do you have some glasses? Or do we just pass around the bottle?"

"Better than that."

Furrball spoke up for the first time since I arrived and he seemed pretty excited to be doing this. The anticipation in his face reminded of me when I first drank for the first time.

Calamity pulled out a couple more bottles out and tossed one over to Furrball and kept one for him to drink. The knapsack by the coyote's feet suddenly freaked me out. How many bottles did he make? What were they planning to do with all of them?

"You guys were planning to get busy huh?"

"We were _planning_ on crashing the party and giving most of the people there more than they could handle with this." He held the bottle up to glisten magically under the full moon. "Revenge for me and Furrball here but we refrained, and decided to hang out here on the beach."

"I wanted to burn the place to the ground…"

Furrball's snarl was full of vehement as he held out a matchbook.

My look of astonishment had to make the cat uncomfortable as I glanced over, yet when he threw the pack of matches into the fire I calmed down. The graveness in his young voice was unmistakable though. Calamity too didn't seem to know of this "alternative method". Who were we to blame Furrball though? He had every right to do it. Homeless, without Calamity literally friendless and he still looked half-starved every time I saw him. All he ever had was anguish, who was he not to give a little of his own pain back into the world? Maybe the alcohol was making me a little loopy…still though… the act felt justified.

"I wouldn't blame you Furrball. You have every right in the world."

The silence afterward said it all. I said it all. Calamity stood up and held the bottle back towards the moon.

"Let's drink to life."

The cat stood up and laughed.

"I'd rather drink to _death_!"

The goofy and macabre manner of Furrball continued to confound and enlighten me. It made a scary, load of sense.

"How about to life, to death, and to better days?"

My add-on felt right; we all nodded in agreement. The caps twisted right off and we clanked the bottles above the flames.

Next thing I knew I was chugging it all down. The taste was like a bag of licorice, but that didn't stop me from finishing it. Apparently it didn't stop Furrball or Calamity either. Throwing the bottle down into sand I felt the yearning for more. Like a puppy who had just been weaned off his mom my mouth and stomach ravished for more.

"That was amazing."

That look of satisfaction on the cat's face said it all. We just drank a delicacy not found in many places. And I think for all of us it was the perfect way to end the night. We all three sat down on the logs around the fire, our eyes fixated on the heat source despite the occasional look into each other's eyes. The fact that Calamity made this was an even bigger achievement. I knew he was into science but not _that _kind of science.

"Aren't we supposed to feel something?"

I asked the coyote for an evaluation because frankly I had no clue on how this stuff worked.

"It depends on how long…"

Like magic I couldn't focus on him anymore. I saw his lips moving and could still hear him talking but mine and Furrball's laughing took his seriousness all away. We all started laughing. The cackling got louder and louder. Everything had become hysterical. Still it felt all the same as normal alcohol and after ten or twelve minutes of straight laughing we all stopped.

"GuysI'llbebackIgottagobreaktheseal"

I stuttered and stumbled; my ability to talk had been completely annihilated. And walking towards the ocean in the daftest zigzag line I was prepared to let…

What the hell..?

Bodies, naked bodies, were rising from the water and slowly making their way to my position. They were moaning something unintelligibly. As they I got closer I could smell the decay. Cuts and bruises laid in crosses and pentagrams across their faces, stomachs, arms, and legs. I tried running away but as I turned back to go find Furrball and Calamity I had been surrounded. Enclosed in a circle I starting making out faces. Mom, Dad, every sibling in my family, Plucky, Hampton, oh god…Babs; they were all dead! Drowned, beaten and dead? To my knees I started to gag from disgust; I was all alone in the sand.

They were touching me. They were prodding every part of my body. Removing my clothes they started strategically ripping my fur out bit by bit. I tried to scream, run, plead, nothing was working.

"Who's better? Who's better now? Life is death in isolation!"

Over and over again, repeatedly, they kept raping my ears with the words. Closing my eyes I tried to black it all out. This wasn't real! This wasn't real! This wasn't real! But it was! Pain! Damn it they were hurting me! Where was salvation? Where was help?

"!"

My scream became an answered prayer because they all did as I asked. The quiet had become a blessing. Touching my body, my clothes had returned. I was ok. I wanted to cry. But I was fine. I was ok.

"Buster..."

A voice that was unmistakable; Babs again but the calming smoothness her voice sounded inviting.

I opened my eyes to a new place.

We were in a field of flowers, dandelions to be exact. A summer heat danced and relaxed my body. The sky? Cloudless and untouched except by the warmth of the sun. Glancing over she was laying down right beside me. A white dress she donned; a perfect reminiscent of an angel.

"Babs?"

"Yes?"

"…"

A loss for anything representing sanity. Why was everything so pure, clean, and like heaven?

"Buster…"

She rolled over on top of me. Her blue eyes pierced through my soul pinning me to the ground. My heartbeat picked up and I was shaking again. Real, tangible, affection from her…the one I always wanted.

"Y-yeah?"

"I'll always be here. Yours forever…"

She gave a sweet, soft kiss like that of a phantom. Tears came from my eyes, my emotions felt overhauled, grinded into tiny pieces. If this was death then the swift wings could take me anywhere.

I had to say it; I had to get it out.

"Babs I'll cherish you, I'll love you, I'll hold you till I disappear, till I dissolve. I'll _die _for you…"

What I was saying was foolish, childish even. But I didn't know what the hell was going on or how to get out of it, so the final admittance of feelings was all I had left.

Caressing my face she went down for another kiss. My eyes closed again. I waited for her lips but they never came.

The night was back along with sea breeze. The cool weather chilled me. I shivered violently. Opening my eyes the full moon shined downward. I felt illuminated, taken in, and bounded to its beauty.

I kept staring and staring and staring. Lost in the moment of all that just transpired. Apathy took over and I felt freer than a bird that just learned to fly.

Most say that to be nothing is _nothing_, but right then, right there, _nothing was paradise_…

I murmured nonsense until I drifted out of consciousness and into a tight slumber.

* * *

"Wake up!"

_Maverick87-2008_


End file.
